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Old 08-13-2018, 07:13 AM
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Freshly sober

I've been trying to get sober from alcohol for some time now. The physical pain keeps stopping me. Is there any advice on how to help this without going to a treatment facility? I have to work full time and have a family. I have to do this at home unfortunately. Thanks for any advice!
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Old 08-13-2018, 07:24 AM
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Welcome to the family. You could ask your doctor for medical help in getting thru the first few days of withdrawal. Doctors can prescribe a short course of benzos to get you safely thru the worst of w/d.

I wish you the best and hope our support can help you get sober for good.
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Old 08-13-2018, 07:33 AM
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Pretty common question early on. Getting sober can be done without treatment, people do it all the time. On the other hand, withdrawals can be dangerous and should not be ignored if they get serious. At that point you will need medical attention. Congratulations on your decision to quit drinking.
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Old 08-13-2018, 07:41 AM
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Thank you! I'm embarrassed, guilty and so angry. I have been reading other people's post and realize I'm really not alone in this. I will seek medical treatment if necessary. Thank you
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Old 08-13-2018, 08:03 AM
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Getting thru the first week can be difficult. See if your dr can help. I had to go to the ER because of serious w/d symptoms. Then I sought out as much help and support that I could find. My family was involved and it was a great source of understanding and comfort. Hope you get the advice that you are looking for. The real strength comes from inside of you. It is putting your own sobriety as first priority.
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Old 08-13-2018, 08:22 AM
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I detoxed couple times alone at home , without medication and without next of keen. I went to doctor but was advised not to stop drinking what i found ridiculous as for a binge emotional drinker it is all or nothing. So i stopped by myself drinking water and praying . Removed all alcohol from home and tried to eat something or take juice . However , i was lucky never expierienced seizuires or halluscinations but some people do. If you drink every day for long period of time weeks , months it can be dangerous. I was frustrated as all gp denied any medication and i did detox by myself. What i noticed in UK funds had been cut on adddiction and social care if you want rehab or hospital you need to be rich or vice verss homeless picked up from street in life danger. I use AA and recovery hubs. Good luck with detox definitely getting prescribed someti g will save you terrible anxiety and insomnia x D
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Old 08-13-2018, 08:41 AM
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Stopping drinking suddenly can be deadly and you may need to taper off. If you can't stop due to pain you need to go and see a doctor. Don't underestimate the risks.
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Old 08-13-2018, 08:53 AM
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Vitamins and supplements galore will help:
- a super B complex is a must (if you overheat really easy, just start with Thiamine and Folic acid. Niacin is a flusher and tends to make you have hot flashes which is super uncomfortable when you're first detoxing and already running hot).
- A multi-vitamin or better yet, Emergen-C
- Fish oil (especially if you smoke cigarettes)
- Milk Thistle (assists w/ liver cleansing)
- St. John's Wart (if not on any antidepressants this can help immensely but it takes about 4 days to start noticing effects)

Essential oils:
- Peppermint, lavender, Frankincense, Amyris (for sleep).

Medications (if possible to be prescribed by your doctor):
- withdrawal assistance (Gapapentin, Methocarbinal)
- Anxiety meds if needed

Other suggestions:
- I tend to get constipated when getting sober, having Metamucil or Milk of Magnesia works for me. If you're the opposite, I would stick to a BRAT diet if possible.
- Light exercise. My first reaction when told this was HA! Yeah, right. But this helped my shakes, tremors and pains immensely. Brisk walking, stretching, slow circles with your arms and legs.
- Journal how crappy you feel when detoxing. I still read that daily when my cravings hit. It's funny how forgetful we are once feeling better; I'm glad I was disgustingly descriptive.

This all helped for me but every body is different. Kudos to you for making this step!
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Old 08-13-2018, 09:09 AM
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That is a lot of information. I already take vitamins but I can add some. Thank you so much!
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Old 08-13-2018, 09:12 AM
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Thank you everyone!
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Old 08-13-2018, 09:16 AM
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What type of pain? I ask because I didn’t experience physical pain unless you count nausea.
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Old 08-13-2018, 09:20 AM
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Feels like my nerves in my arms and legs, of course headache, I am a little nauseous but haven't gotten sick this time. I can say it's almost like having the flu without the fever, just the body aches.
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Old 08-13-2018, 09:22 AM
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You should always talk to your doctor before taking any vitamins or medical supplements or any etc treatments.

And, please remember, we cannot offer any kind of medical advice.
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Old 08-13-2018, 09:23 AM
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Originally Posted by Serenity18 View Post
Feels like my nerves in my arms and legs, of course headache, I am a little nauseous but haven't gotten sick this time. I can say it's almost like having the flu without the fever, just the body aches.
Serenity that sounds quite normal when going through withdrawal. It's not pleasant, but it can be done. And, you will find lots of support here.

If you have any concerns at all, please talk to your doctor.
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Old 08-13-2018, 09:26 AM
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Yes I know you can't give medical advice was just looking for advice from experience. Thank you
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Old 08-13-2018, 04:04 PM
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Same Boat, we will not sink, we are going to fight!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Serenity18 View Post
I've been trying to get sober from alcohol for some time now. The physical pain keeps stopping me. Is there any advice on how to help this without going to a treatment facility? I have to work full time and have a family. I have to do this at home unfortunately. Thanks for any advice!
Im in the exact same boat, i mean exact boat. We are in a hard place, I wish i could just up and go in to some kind of nice facility to just give myself a break and i only need like 6 months i think to just properly pull it together but i'm a 1 woman army trying to fight so many enemies by myself. All i can say is just pray and gather your strength to fight yourself out. That's how i ended up here looking for support and just need a outlet for my thoughts. Hopefully your inner most will power will kick in on over drive. Take it 1 day at a time, and don't be hard on yourself. This is not something that came over you in 1 day or night, it took years and it will take the rest of your life to fight, even when we get completely sober and clean, we have to remember this disease is and always will be with us. We are fighting to be free of its torment so take it easy and try to stay busy, it feeds off fear loneliness and secrets. So find someone to talk to to get it off your chest, i prefer a doctor because you don't have to worry about judgement and you can be totally honest about everything, lol sometimes drinking and drugging lead to some crazy episodes. lol that's what i call them (my drunk episodes) and let me tell you alot of them are embarrassing and wild but with time stuff get old and eventually its all gone stop, keep your faith and believe God is right there with you. LOve KK28
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Old 08-13-2018, 05:20 PM
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Thank you!! Keep your strength too! This is a hard battle to fight for sure and right now I'm winning, but tomorrow is a whole new day. I'm trying to live in moments at a time being miserable in pain but still taking care of my household. I keep praying and I'll keep praying! Stay strong! ❤
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Old 08-13-2018, 10:33 PM
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I needed medical detox. My GP and my addiction psychiatrist both said I was in a lot of danger if I tried to detox without benzos and medical monitoring of fluids, etc. I ended up not needing a central IV line but I did need benzos. I had to wait a number of hours because they wanted to bring my BAC down further before they started the valium. I was headed towards hallucinosis and seizures, so they caved. It really did take most of the physical pain out of it. Trust me, I've self-detoxed before and I was nearly to that point.

THat was me. I was extremely ill. However, I ended up going to rehab for 30 days after the medical detox, my insurance paid for all but $3K of it and I got disability. There was nothing my employers could do about it, and were forbidden by law to even ask me about my condition (this is in the US). Fortunately I had people to take care of my dog. That 5 weeks gave me such a head start on my sobriety that I'm not sure I wouldn't have gotten it right the first time without it. Not that people don't do multiple rehabs, but it really worked for me. So many say they "can't take the time," but in reality if you can't stop drinking or using otherwise, a job and a family has a lot more pain in dealing with one's addiction than they would with someone getting better.

More of a soapbox thing really. It's not for everyone, and it seems in the UK it's out of reach for most. It's really a shame.

My major point, and i do have one, is that a doctor should be involved if you're having any significant withdrawal symptoms, and its best if it's an addiction doctor rather than just a GP. Had I tried to self-detox there's a good chance i would have died, especially since there was lunesta addiction on top of the alcohol.

Please talk to your doctor. To me your symptoms sound relatively minor, but I AM NOT A DOCTOR.
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Old 08-14-2018, 07:59 AM
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I am actually feeling much better today. I'm not having the body aches but I still have a little anxiety which I am now taking medication for. This is day 2 for me and I feel good so far. I'm praying the withdraw symptoms are done and I can move on with my sobriety. I'm happy you got the help you needed and I thank you for sharing your experience with me. If I continued on the path I was on, things would get much worse and fast. Today, I'm happy to be sober but I'm only talking it one day at a time!
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